Welcome to Delight in Grace. The Teaching Ministry of Rich Powell. pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Bible is God's self-disclosure to us. It's how we can know who God really is.
Deuteronomy 17 is really a window to four things that God cares about deeply when it comes to his people. Not surprisingly, these are four things that lead to human flourishing. Let's listen to this message titled You Shall Purge the Evil. Good morning. I'm going to read scripture for us this morning.
It's going to be from Deuteronomy 17, verses 14 through 20. It's Deuteronomy 17 verses 14 through 20. When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And you possess it. and dwell in it and then say I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me.
You may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. one from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you. who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt.
in order to acquire many horses. Since the LORD has said to you, you shall never return that way again. And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, He shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law. Approved by the Levitical priests.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it in all the days of his life. That he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of the Lord. of his law and these statues and doing them. that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers. that he may not turn aside from the commandment.
Either to the right hand or to the left, so he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the constancy and the unchangingness of. Of it and yourself, and all the change in life, Lord.
We thank you that we have this to come back to. We thank you for the divine privilege of all of us being here today as brothers and sisters to sit around and hear. and sing and encourage each other and you. I pray that you would bless the sermon to follow based on this text, Lord. And I pray that you would give us, as we listen, the The ears to hear it, the mind and the heart to be just wrapped up in the goodness of who you are and your will for us.
We thank you for that awesome heritage to which we're invited. We love you, Lord. It's in your Son's name, Jesus, we pray. Amen. Good morning, church.
All right, Deuteronomy chapter 17. Let's do this. I know what you're thinking right now. There's no way he's gonna get through all that. Yes, I am.
Listen quickly. Actually, we're going to begin in verse 18 of chapter 16. We are in the part of Deuteronomy where. God is dealing with the people who worship. This is how you worship me.
So the things we're going to be talking about today have everything to do with how worship as a people who worship God. Four things. Four things. that God cares about deeply. We will see in the text.
how deeply he cares about these things. Number one that he cares about deeply is justice, impartial. justice. Impartial justice. You shall appoint judges, officers, and all your towns.
Look at verse 19. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality. You shall not accept a bribe. For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
Justice and only justice you shall follow. This is very important. This means a lot to him. Lady Justice Justicia is her name. What does she look like?
She's blindfolded. Holding scales. and a sword. Righteous judgment is God's concern. And this is necessary.
It is necessary because of our human limits It is just is necessary because of our differences. It is also necessary because we are a sinful people. Really good words on justice and mercy this morning in Chris's class as he concluded the study on Jonah.
Okay. But where it is necessary, where it is called for, those who are responsible for it, make sure you are following justice, not partiality, and not tainted by corruption. They are to appoint judges and officers, as it says in verse 18. And those judges and those officers, it is a trust. to steward faithfully.
Meaning there is a standard for justice. And that standard comes from the lawgiver. That's where laws come from. There is a lawgiver. Aim.
They're not to pervert. by partiality or corruption. Here's a reality that we gain from this just from looking at human history, biblical history, and human history. Man cannot accomplish utopia.
So any ideology today that claims to be progressing towards or promising utopia. Run away from it. Do not participate in it, because man cannot accomplish. Utopia. Only God can.
So much of the world's ill today is directly related to partiality and corruption, and much of it. in pursuit of A utopia. It says This partiality and this corruption, it blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.
So, what are we called to do as God's people? What are we called to do but to champion wisdom and righteousness? Champion wisdom and righteousness. Where does wisdom come from? Proverbs 2:6, the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Righteousness is the scepter of his kingdom. And there are standards for this wisdom and righteousness, and it comes to us in God's self-disclosure. And so we are to champion wisdom and righteousness in our behavior. We should also champion wisdom and righteousness at the ballot box, because we have the privilege. of choosing who our leaders are.
It's a high privilege. You should be very wise in that.
So champion wisdom and righteousness. God requires of us that we do Justly. that we do justly. where justice is called for. And doing justly is congruent with...
showing mercy. Why? because we are a people who walk with God. And God is a God who is just, but He also shows mercy.
So we need to be careful that we're not guilty of injustice, lack of wisdom and injustice. in unrighteousness. there is sometimes the need for mercy. And God is a God of mercy as well. Impartial justice is something that God cares about very deeply.
Yeah.
Now, look with me at verse 21. The second thing that God cares about very deeply is pure. Worship. Pure. worship.
Three things that inhibit pure worship here. Number one is syncretism. Verse 21, you shall not plant any tree in Asherah besides the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make, and you shall not set up a pillar which the Lord your God hates.
So, in other words, they were to worship the Lord their God and worship him at the Jerusalem temple, and they would. They were followers of Jehovah. God it was the God of Israel He says, but, you know, from the nations, the influence from the nations before, they would cut a tree and they would carve it out and paint it and bow down to it. That syncretism. It's combining two faith systems.
And you might say, well, we don't really do that today.
Well, I have a, you know, you've got that chart, that wheel that I draw, right? That wheel represents your life, and right in the middle of it is the hub. And then the spokes that go out, those represents all the different areas of your life. Are you ready for this? I'm going to challenge you right now, okay?
Is God Just a piece of the pie? Is that what he is to you?
Well, I've got my work, I've got my intellect, I've got my family, and then there's I give this part to God. Where does Christ belong? at the very center. Where It is is vitally connected to everything else in our lives. How do I worship Christ?
Through my work. How do I worship Christ with my finances? How do I worship Christ with my intellect? my education, how do I worship Christ with my family? You see, worship isn't just something we do on Sunday mornings.
I'm not just a follower of God. When the church doors are open. This is what we're talking about, preeminence. And it's way, way. Way too easy for us in our very comfortable, affluent society.
to be syncretistic in our worship. I think about God on Sunday mornings. Don't ask me to do much more than that. That's syncretism. And God hates it.
Tough words. Let me make this clear. And I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Jesus. didn't come from heaven.
and leave his glory and come in the form of a servant and die on a cross for you.
So that he could be a part of your life. He's not interested in being a part of it. Yeah.
of our lives. He is Preeminent. He is And our lives. Belong. to him.
It's what the kids sang about this morning, wasn't it? That's pure worship. Pure worship. The second one is half-hearted. Chapter 17, verse 1: You shall not sacrifice the Lord your God, or an ox or sheep, in which is a blemish.
Defect. whatever for that is an abomination to the Lord. your God. That is not impressed by half-hearted worship. In other words.
Half-hearted worship means I'll give him something that I don't really want. What? I'll give him a P I'll give him some some of my time that I don't really want. Or I'll give them, you know. We're givers.
We give to the Lord and to His ministry. You know, if I have money left over at the end of the month, I'll give it to the church. Thanks for joining us here at Delight in Grace. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission.
Is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good. and your deepest satisfaction in him. the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
